Victorian Liberals vow tougher penalties for attacks on Good Samaritans

The Victorian Liberals have promised to introduce "Aidan's Law," a new legislation aimed at imposing harsher penalties on individuals who attack people trying to intervene in crimes, if they win the upcoming election on November 28, dailyliberal.com.au reported.

The law is named after 22-year-old Aidan Becker, an off-duty security guard who was fatally stabbed at Mernda train station in Melbourne while allegedly trying to protect a 14-year-old boy from robbery, according to armidaleexpress.com.au.

Under the proposed changes, judges would be required to consider attacks on Good Samaritans as an aggravating factor in sentencing. Currently, courts can consider such circumstances but there is no specific legal requirement to do so, canberratimes.com.au explained.

Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the policy was inspired by a request from Mr Becker's mother and emphasized that the law should protect those brave enough to stand up for others, armidaleexpress.com.au noted.

Meanwhile, the Labor government has initiated a review of the state's sentencing laws with public consultation scheduled for April 2027. Premier Ben Carroll also announced plans to recruit an additional 200 former police officers as reservists to handle administrative duties, freeing up more officers for street patrols, dailyliberal.com.au reported.